Awesome race!

 I met up with Brent, Trent, Christian, Todd, & Jim at Conte's around 4:45am. We hit the road and arrived early. I had a good spot in transition and had plenty of time to set up. Actually had extra time to mess around with my buddy Kim, and meet some of the other racers/swimmers that were racing with her (Sean, Haley). This was Kim's first triathlon, and I had her thinking that she'd be the first person in the water....pretty funny. I think she was freakin' out about this until she found out the truth on race morning...priceless!

The swim was a TT start (which I HATE). I jumped in line, got going and was just getting into the grove when the swim was over. My only complaint about this point to point swim was the vegetation in the water. I ended up pulling weeds more so than I did water. Oh well! Everyone had to do it!

I hit T1 and put on my shoes. During the morning walk-through, I noticed there was plenty of sand in my area of the transition, and I didn't want to run bare-footed through all that. So I put my shoes on, ran out of T1, and jumped on my bike ready to roll at the mount line. It didn't take me long to get my HR down, and I was rolling. I was passing people fairly often...which I expected. I usually keep count of how many people pass me, and try to keep it less than 3. I was pushing a low gear, and hammering it pretty hard. The course was an out and back...so I was keeping an eye out for people I knew that started ahead of me (Trent, Kim, Sean, Haley)...and my computer was getting close to 6 miles when I realized I hadn't seen them yet...which meant I was rolling fast. I saw all of them around the same time (except Kim)...and hit the turn around soon after. On the way back in, I passed Kim who didn't look too happy biking/racing...pretty funny (because I recall my first race/painful biking experience). Everything was going well...no one had passed me...and then about 200 yards from the finish, somehow I dropped my chain off the rear lower cog! Even though I'd lose time, I thought about just rolling back into T2, but there was a short hill...well, I HAD to stop, put the chain back on and ride the rest of the way. I probably lost bout 30 total seconds...oh well...still a good bike.

I hit T2, and was out in under a minute. The run was going pretty well for mile 1...then my feet began to hurt. I pushed the remainder of the run and finished fairly strong.

I ended up getting 1st (out of 77 in my division), which I was proud of. But I was even happier with the amount of people afterwards hanging out and socializing. It was good to chat with everyone (Brent, Trent, Lisa, Jim, Christian, Todd, Kim, Sean, Haley, Rico, Brad, anyone else?)! I received a lot of compliments from guys who said that I "flew by them" on the bike...thanks! I appreciate those comments. Everyone finished safe which is first and foremost...I am looking forward to my last two races of the season:

Angel's- Relay, I am doing the bike.

Emerald Point- Sprint, I hope to stay undefeated in the state of Georgia!

Friday 01 August.

I made the drive to Ashevillve to meet up with my competitor and new friend, Kyle Moody, and old time buddy John Shilt. Kyle lives in Asheville, and John had to make the 2.5 hour drive from Winston. We met up with Kyle's wife, Renee for dinner at Stone Tavern and had a great pre-race meal. Unfortunately, we mis-timed our dining experience and had to haul butt to packet pick-up before they closed. We made it with seconds to spare (literally).

After packet pick-up, we made the short drive to the race site to check out things. Myself, Kyle & John jumped in the lake and got a quick swim in. The lake was incredibly low, which meant an interesting transition...more to come on that.

We left lake logan and headed to a cabin in the woods, about 15 minutes from the race site. The cabin was owned by the family of Renee (and Kyle), and was THE perfect pre-race lodging. It was isolate out in the woods and was a simplistic cabin...no tv, one bathroom, very close quarters, etc. Myself and John shared a bunk bed and had no complaints on the free room! Thanks K & R!

We woke up around 5:00am and all took our turns in the bathroom. While making the drive, I had a pound cake for my pre-race breakfast...go figure.

We arrived at the race site with plenty of time to set up, etc. This was a wetsuit legal race, but as the water level was low, there was a seperate transition set up at the swim exit. We had to bring an extra pair of shoes to run the .6 miles from the swim exit to the actual transition area. This was probably a huge advantage for some, and not for others....me!

The swim was nice and I was able to get into a rhythm pretty quick. I felt great for about the first 700 meters...and then I began getting a bit tired and could tell I wasn't taking my full long strokes. My cardio was there, but my muscle fatigue showed up sooner than usual. I think my lack of swimming for the last 2.5-3 weeks is to thank for this. With that bein said, I was still comfortable out there. I got out, made the "quick" run to T1 and was on my way. While standing in T1 putting on my helmet, Kyle can running by and gave me a FREINDLY tap on the back to let me know he was hot on my tail!!! Needless to say, I picked up the pace and was out on the ride in no time.

I have to say that the ride out of the lake was a FAST flow. I was holding 27-30mph for about 25 minutes or so...very nice. Around mile 12, Kyle pulled up next to me...bummer. I know he's a faster biker than I am, I was just hoping to hold him off for a bit longer. But with that being said, I had made up my mind (pre-race) that if he came by me, I would keep him in sight until T2. As it turned out, he and I volley'd position for another 7 miles until he decided to take off...I kept him in sight, but wasn't able to reel him in.

I arrived in T2 (at my rack) when Kyle had just taken off for the run. I knew I was going to be a little longer as I had decided to wear socks today...I kept telling myself to stay calm and not get antsy knowing I was loosing time by putting on socks...but would be gaining comfort by taking the extra seconds. I headed out on the run and took a quick peek up the road to try and spot Kyle. I saw him and tried to gauge his speed...make an assessment on if I thought I could catch him. I felt pretty good and was actually tip'd off by some of his buddies that he was just out in front of me (thanks guys). As I rounded out the first 1/4 mile, I saw him and knew then I could catch him. I was rolling pretty good and felt if I could keep my current speed, that I could catch him around the 1 mile mark.

The run was 3.1 miles up a hill, and 3.1 miles back the same route....which is nice, because you can see where your comp is. Around 3/4 miles, I saw Kevin Lisska flying downhill...congrats on the 1st place dude. Nice run. But just up in front of me was Kyle...he and Kevin high 5'd each other and as Kyle turned to watch his buddy Kevin go by, I think he caught a glimpse that I was on his tail. He stuck out his hand to give me a hello, and then encouraged me to go get the win. I passed him and kept a steady pace until the turn around. I immediately caught a cramp/strain in my calf as I started my last 3.1 miles. I immediately decided that I would have to tear my achilles or something before I even considered stopping (I really did have this thought process as I felt the cramping in my leg)...so I trekked on!

As it turned out, I never did  catch the guy in front of me, so I settled for a 2nd place in my division...and 49th overall (out of 277). I finished strong and felt great afterwards.

It was a blast to get to know Kyle and Renee on a more personal level...and also to race with friends (Kyle, John, Renee, Jim, Keith, Ken).